


Cause and Effect

by kzam



Series: Conscription [2]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe, Denial of Feelings, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, M/M, Pining, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-02-23 00:29:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23469538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kzam/pseuds/kzam
Summary: From the very first moment they met, Genesis knew Cloud was a problem. He was stubborn to a fault, and unnecessarily rude. He treated SOLDIERs like they were all nuisances, and oversaw that Supply Station like it was his moral obligation to run them all out.But he was also a catalyst, which was something Genesis simply could not ignore.Or, Gen's POV on the main events in Catalyst.
Relationships: Genesis Rhapsodos/Cloud Strife
Series: Conscription [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1688164
Comments: 28
Kudos: 331





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, I had a few requests to see what Genesis was thinking throughout Catalyst, and it felt out of place for me to suddenly switch POV in the main fic. That story is really about Cloud and his personal growth; how his thoughts evolved over time about ShinRa, SOLDIER, Genesis, etc. It was about him coming out the other side of all that stronger and happier, while maintaining that same level of stubbornness from the beginning.
> 
> But I do understand the interest in Gen's POV on a few things, so that's why I'm posting this. I definitely have a lot of thoughts/feelings about how Gen saw it all as it went down which I'm happy to write/share.
> 
> This won't be a re-write of the original fic, and it won't have Gen's thoughts on every single thing that happened chapter by chapter. Basically, I'm going to skip from one big event to the next from Gen's perspective so you can see the evolution of Gen's thoughts/feelings for Cloud. There will be a lot more Angeal and Sephiroth, too. Plus interactions with Zack and Gen that weren't part of the main fic. I don't want it to be redundant, so I'm going to try to give it a different spin so that it's not all recycled conversation/scenes. I'll try to include some Gen/Cloud scenes that are different or expanded from the main fic as well.
> 
> Requests are welcome if there was something specific you were hoping to see from Gen's perspective.

Brat. There was no other way to describe the young man sitting in Lazard’s office, huffing like a petulant child as he was given what should have been the best news in his life.

Joining SOLDIER was something most people dreamed of, and Genesis knew for a fact Cloud Strife was no exception. He had pulled the young man’s records and reviewed his previous entry attempts. There had been several of them, despite this act the blond seemed to be putting up right now.

Mediocre. That was the only way to describe the results. Why would someone who had repeatedly tested as mediocre be anything but _thrilled_ when given the chance to be something more? To call him ungrateful would be an understatement.

Genesis had given him the chance of a lifetime.

“He didn’t look pleased,” Lazard noted as the blond stormed out of the office, raising a brow. “I thought you said he wanted this?”

“He tested three times. Of course he wants this,” Genesis insisted, waving the Director off as he sought to follow the new recruit. Something was amiss here, and he was going to figure it out.

Cloud was practically sulking as they headed toward the elevator. Ugh. Genesis did _not_ do well with sulking. What a nuisance.

“I realize it’s not ideal,” he attempted, thinking twice before trying to pat the blond on the back—something told him that wouldn’t go over so well. “My research suggested you’d be happy about this.”

Goddess. The scowl on that young man's face could rival even Genesis’ sharpest stare. “Research? When you came into my Supply Station and I told you to fuck off, was that not any kind of indication that I wasn’t interested?”

“Proper research! It’s not as if I hauled you off to Lazard that day,” Genesis insisted. “I looked into your records. You put in for the program no less than—”

“Three times, I know. I was there.” The brat rolled his eyes, clearly growing more prickly by the minute. “I’m not interested in being a SOLDIER anymore. I don’t even wanna be in the infantry—I just wanna leave this place.”

“Would it help if I apologized?”

Cloud snorted. “Sounds really genuine when you ask first.”

They continued bickering for a few minutes before going their separate ways, Genesis responding instinctively with each and every verbal jab the blond threw his way. Frankly, if the circumstances had been different, he might have been impressed. Not many would dare to act like this in front of one of SOLDIER’s Commanders, let alone keep up in a dispute like this. Something told him Cloud didn’t often _need_ to engage in arguments like this, instead warning people off with a glare or a few simple words.

Too bad for Cloud he wasn’t dealing with someone who would be scared off so easily this time.

\-----

When Cloud didn’t show up for training the next day, Genesis was more than a little annoyed.

Did he not understand what _conscription_ meant? It wasn’t like the order was open to interpretation, and the alternative was far worse. Surely Cloud was smart enough to realize that if he was smart enough to have such a deep-rooted disdain for ShinRa. There was no turning back now that it had already happened.

“Give him a few days, Gen,” Angeal suggested, patting him on the shoulder. “He’ll come around.”

“It’s not up to me anymore.” Once the word _catalyst_ had been thrown around, all eyes were on Cloud whether he knew it or not. The expectations would be high from all levels of the company. “They’ll want him mission ready as quickly as possible.”

“That’s where you come in. You’re the expert, remember?”

Genesis hummed thoughtfully. Perhaps Angeal had a point. “I suppose.”

It _would_ be easier to get the most out of a catalyst if they came along willingly, and that gave him some room when it came to keeping the executives at bay. Lazard had seen firsthand how Cloud reacted to all of this, which could only help. The facts were very simple in this situation.

Cloud would be useless to ShinRa if he didn’t want to be there. That meant he had to have the freedom to convince Cloud to come along willingly. To convince Cloud to get over himself and reevaluate the situation. ShinRa may not be the ideal company, but the life of a SOLDIER made it tolerable. SOLDIERs had more freedom than infantrymen—more _choice._ Life was whatever a SOLDIER wanted it to be so long as they operated within the realm of ShinRa’s need.

“I’ll keep them away from him,” Genesis decided, mulling it over a little more. “The question is, will he be persuadable?”

“You should talk to Zack about it. They’re friends.”

“Are they?”

“Yes. He was venting to me just yesterday.”

“About me?”

Angeal’s brows were furrowed, which said enough. “Not about you, about the situation.”

“About me,” Genesis reiterated with a sigh. “Is he privy to the full details?”

“No, I don’t think so. He was planning to stop by to find out for himself.”

“Stop by _where?”_

“He’s at his old post still.”

Genesis stared at his friend in disbelief, more than a little perturbed. At his old post? That worthless Supply Station? “When he didn’t report in today, the Turks were sent to monitor his movement.”

“Gen! That’s over the top!”

“It’s not as if I sent them personally,” he sighed. “I’ll call Tseng tomorrow.”

“Gen.”

The weight of those eyes. Even after a lifelong friendship, he still wavered under Angeal’s firm stare from time to time, and this was one of those times. The type where Angeal truly wasn’t amused whatsoever.

“Lazard’s the one who insisted on getting the Turks involved,” he huffed, pulling out his PHS nonetheless.

They hadn’t assumed Cloud deserted, or at least not yet. But they were watching in case he got any ideas about it. Genesis, on the other hand, wasn’t worried in the least about that.

Someone who resented ShinRa _that_ much was too smart to think they could slip away so easily.

\-----

He’d kept his distance for three days, deliberate and far more patient than usual. Frankly, if Lazard hadn’t pressed Sephiroth to nag him for an update on the situation, he probably would’ve spared the blond at least a week to come to terms with his new reality. Something about the Chain of Command, since technically he was supposed to report to Sephiroth rather than Lazard.

Genesis knew better than that though. Lazard was a smart man.

Goddess knew if he didn’t placate Sephiroth, he’d send Angeal over in his place next time and he didn’t particularly feel like displeasing his oldest friend yet again in this scenario. Not that he enjoyed displeasing Sephiroth either, but there was a difference. A few choice words from his ‘direct superior’ would only cause his temper to flare, which was certainly not the desired effect here.

They were all Firsts, which made them all equals. No one would convince him otherwise, and so he did the ‘responsible’ thing and went to go see Cloud without any additional prompting as if he hadn’t known all along exactly where the blond had been holed up.

“So this is where you’ve been hiding,” Genesis said, hands on his hip as he walked into the Supply Station. “Did you think I wouldn’t find out?”

“I literally get paid to be here.” The brat didn’t even look up at him. “Doesn’t exactly count as hiding.”

“You’re no longer in the infantry. This post isn’t yours to man anymore.”

After yet another unnecessary bout of bickering, Genesis huffed, walking out before he said something he might regret. Something told him that blunt reminders about how Cloud didn’t have a choice in the matter wouldn’t be the best tactical approach, and he couldn’t quite fault the blond for that.

If someone tried that with _him,_ he would hit them with a Firaga before they could blink.

\-----

A full week of trying to convince Cloud to budge on his own accord, and he hadn’t had any luck whatsoever. Tempting him with talk of gil, materia, travel—anything he could think of that was undisputedly a perk of being a SOLDIER. None of it had worked.

All he had left to offer the blond was an honest warning about what would happen if he failed to report for much longer, and frankly, he wasn’t so coldhearted that he wanted to go that route.

There was only one card left to play.

“You need my help?” Zack raised a brow, a shit eating grin slowly spreading on his face. “Seriously? With what?”

“There’s an infantryman—Sargent Strife.”

“This is about _Cloud?”_

“Yes. I’m sure you’ve heard about his conscription.”

“Yeah, but I haven’t had the chance to go see him yet. I got sent outta town before I could swing by. What’s this really about?”

“This is about helping your friend. Do you understand what happens when someone attempts to leave ShinRa without permission?”

Zack, to his credit, seemed to be putting the pieces together very quickly. “Spike hates it here. He musta been pissed when all this happened.”

“He has yet to report in for duty.”

“Is he a Third or something?”

“Why would you assume that?”

“Why else would you be askin’ me about him?” Zack shrugged. “How’d he end up getting pulled into this, anyway?”

“I’ll leave that for him to tell you. Suffice it to say, we were all under the impression he _wanted_ to be a SOLDIER when it happened.”

“He used to.”

“What changed his mind?”

Zack frowned, hand on the back of his head. “He was one of the troopers with me that day. In Banora.”

Genesis’ world stopped for a moment, as it tended to whenever his hometown was mentioned. He blinked away his feelings on the subject the way he had trained himself to, instead focusing on what he could control. This bit of knowledge changed quite a bit. No wonder Cloud wanted nothing to do with SOLDIER, ShinRa—with any of it.

“Well. That makes this far more difficult.”

“Yeah, he’s not just gonna come along willingly. Can’t you just undo it?”

“It’s not so simple. He has a rare talent,” Genesis explained vaguely. “ShinRa won’t let him slip away so easily.”

“Why do they even know about it though? Whatever _it_ is? He’s been in that Supply Station for a while now.”

“I’ll leave that for him to tell you. All you need to know is the Director and I discussed it at length, and we both agreed this would be a good thing for him. Lazard’s had his eye on your little friend for quite some time now. His records show he applied three times for the program!”

“That was a long time ago.”

“It’s too late to change the decision. The best thing you can do for him now is convince him to stay before the Turks are forced to intervene.”

Zack groaned, raking a hand through his hair. “Fine. Just gimme some alone time with him—he’ll listen to me.”

“You’ll be helping him in the long run.”

“Yeah? ‘Cause it kinda feels like I’m gonna be asking him to forget all about his hopes and dreams, and that’s really shitty.”

As if Genesis didn’t feel guilty enough. He knew _exactly_ how Angeal his former pet felt about people’s hopes and dreams, which meant this was no small favor to ask of Zack. That didn’t make it any less necessary though.

“I’ll make it up to him in time,” Genesis promised.

“How’re you gonna do that?”

Genesis frowned, not quite sure yet. He wasn’t exactly the most sociable with new recruits, but he wasn’t completely heartless either. When the time was right, he would figure something out and make it up to him somehow.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Genesis decides who will be Cloud's mentor, and there may or may not be an incident in the labs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, so thank you for reading! I'm glad some of you really seem to be enjoying this. I wasn't sure how it would go over because I usually just move on when I wrap up a fic. I still don't know what the exact sequence of this fic will be; I imagine hopping around from 1 big scene to the next, but we'll see how it goes. I really want it to feel like a new/different fic rather than recycling the same scenes, so I will probably try to navigate it that way somehow if I can make it make sense.
> 
> Let me know if you have anything specific you were hoping to get some insight into. Otherwise I'm gonna wing it and see where this takes me haha.

If there was one thing Genesis had figured out quickly about Cloud Strife, it was that he was both proud and stubborn in nature. That meant he didn’t want to be treated any differently just because of what happened in the past—in Banora specifically.

It was something Genesis could understand. When the news hit…well, most of ShinRa didn’t hear a word about it. It was swept right under the rug. But those who _did_ know? They treated he and Angeal like they were suddenly two very fragile men. It was intolerable.

Regardless of how their acquaintance began, Genesis refused to do the same with Cloud. He would treat his newest recruit the same as any other, though perhaps with a more critical eye simply due to his innate abilities. It was only natural that he would want to watch a catalyst closely.

Of course, he was proud and stubborn too, and he could only take so much prodding before he was forced to respond in turn. Brat.

“He chose to go to boot camp for the sole purpose of avoiding me for six more weeks,” Genesis complained, much to Angeal’s amusement.

“Can you blame him? You walked into his life and changed it all without even asking for permission.”

“I apologized!”

“Something tells me it wasn’t sincere enough.”

Genesis muttered a few choice words under his breath before conceding that perhaps it had been reactive rather than truly sincere. The fact was, he _was_ sorry. He just couldn’t tell that brat as much because the snarky remarks never seemed to end when they were together.

“He seems to think I did all this to him as some sort of twisted revenge for his behavior in the Supply Station.”

Angeal frowned. “Did you?”

“Of course not! He’s a _catalyst,_ Angeal! He cast Bahamut like it was nothing just to put me in my place,” Genesis said, still barely able to believe it. “It shouldn’t have been possible.”

“It’s been years since we encountered a catalyst.”

“Yes, and Bahamut wasn’t exactly on his radar.”

Nor were any summons. Instead healing and support spells had been the most natural to him, which had still been of intrigue to Genesis.

Cloud though? His personality was much more…well, extreme. It lent itself well to the prospect of calling an array of summons.

“How is Tellah anyway?”

Genesis shrugged. “Well enough. He hasn’t left Cosmo Canyon in years now.”

It was during a research trip that Genesis first met Tellah—one of the sages there. He had stumbled upon the term _catalyst_ as he read through book after book in the vast libraries there, not believing such a person could even exist.

Tellah had proven him very wrong.

Back then, the SOLDIER program was still too new, and so there was no such thing as conscription. Not that an old sage would have been the best fit for the program anyway. Instead Genesis had immersed himself in the knowledge Tellah had to offer, and still wrote for advice and input from time to time. Materia theory had always been a fascinating subject for Genesis, after all. By the time the program _was_ fully developed, Genesis had insisted the conscription clause mandate the recruitment of all newly discovered catalysts.

At the time, he hadn't honestly expected to stumble upon another one.

“If Cloud is a catalyst,” Angeal started, “then he’s driven by emotion, right?”

“I suppose that’s one way to frame it.”

“How would _you_ frame it?”

“His body will instinctively react to any materia he has in his possession, if the circumstances are right. Typically, those circumstances require some type of emotional reaction. I wouldn’t say he’s solely driven by emotion though—just that his emotions will impact his ability to cast.”

“Ah.”

“Why do you ask?”

“I was just thinking, if he really hates ShinRa so strongly, this won’t be easy for you to fix.”

Genesis sighed. “I’m aware. I have six weeks to work out all the details.”

“Have you chosen a mentor for him yet?” Angeal asked curiously. “The right mentor could help change his mind about SOLDIER.”

“I was leaning toward Kunsel. He’s not my best caster, but he’s well informed. Well liked.”

“He’s a friend of Zack’s, too.”

“Yes, which will go a long way in terms of getting Cloud to trust him.”

“It sounds like a good fit to me.”

“Yes. I just worry Cloud’s abilities will advance too quickly for Kunsel to be of much use to him.”

Angeal hummed thoughtfully. “Who’s your best caster, then?”

“Weiss.”

“He’s probably not the best fit to train anyone.”

“No, certainly not. None of my best casters would be.”

“You could always do it yourself,” Angeal suggested. “I did the same when Zack when I realized no one else would be able to keep up with him.”

Genesis rolled his eyes at the very notion. “Can you imagine his reaction? He may prefer the penalty for desertion.”

“Gen…you’re a good man,” Angeal told him firmly. “You’re well respected around here. You’re smart, and you look out for your own. He could do a lot worse.”

Genesis couldn’t help smiling at the praise, but the reality was, Cloud would never view him in that light. It was easy for Angeal to say those things because it was easy for him to let his guard down and _show_ Angeal those sides of himself. To Cloud, he would continue to be the SOLDIER who refused to turn in Bahamut…largely due to the fact that he still had no intention of doing so, even now.

\-----

Five weeks into Cloud’s training, and Genesis’ life had largely returned to normal. After the first few days, it was almost like it had never happened—out of sight, out of mind, of course. He went about his day to day, carrying on as Commander of the Third Class without issue. A bit mundane, perhaps, but such was the life of a Commander.

He had submitted Kunsel’s name to Sephiroth as the selected Third who would be mentoring Cloud, and that was supposed to be it. He had decided not to involve himself any further, at least until Cloud settled in more and accepted his reality. Then he could step in to the same degree he usually would with any of his Thirds. He would watch from afar, and offer guidance to Cloud’s mentor as needed.

He hadn’t expected to get summoned to Sephiroth’s office mere _days_ before Cloud’s return to the Tower. There was something ominous about it when Sephiroth called. _It’s about your new recruit._ Sure, Sephiroth wasn’t a man of many words, but truly? The vague words had him antsy, which was a rarity.

Had something happened during boot camp?

Two steps into his friend’s office, and Genesis already didn’t like where this was going just by the look on Sephiroth’s face. “What is it?”

“Cloud’s lab work came back.”

He raised a brow, approaching the desk with purpose and snatching the document laid out in front of Sephiroth. Interesting. Genesis was no scientist, but he could read some basic lab work well enough by now.

“His mako tolerance is incredibly high,” Genesis said, Sephiroth giving him a simple nod. “A shower won’t have any impact on him at all with these levels.”

“If this report finds itself in the hands of—”

 _Hojo._ Genesis scowled at the very thought. “That won’t happen.”

“They’ll notice when he has no reaction to the shower.”

“No, they won’t,” Genesis decided, crumpling the paper into a ball before letting out just enough of a basic fire spell to incinerate it before tossing the embers into Sephiroth’s trash. If a shower wouldn’t have the desired effect, there was really only one alternative to enhance a person. “I won’t allow him to become another experiment. I’ll do the injection myself.”

“It may raise questions. You don’t take personal interest in new recruits.”

“He’s a catalyst. Surely I’m entitled to some curiosity when it comes to this one.”

“Yet you intend to follow through with your plan to allow Kunsel to mentor him?”

Genesis rolled his eyes. “Have you been speaking with Angeal about this?”

“He has a valid argument.”

“Of course you say that,” Genesis waved him off, “he’s your boyfriend.”

The look on Sephiroth’s face said that had nothing to do with it, but frankly, Genesis didn’t care. If being petulant was the only way to stop this conversation, then he would be petulant. Goddess knew if they talked about it too rationally, he would be forced to admit they were right.

\-----

His plan to give Cloud a mako injection had been kept confidential. Only Angeal and Sephiroth were aware, and they’d agreed to keep that information among themselves. There was already enough curiosity about Cloud given the circumstance—there was no need to draw any more attention.

Unfortunately, that also meant even Kunsel couldn’t know. As Cloud’s chosen mentor, he was set to meet the blond and bring him in for his first dose of mako before going over the basics of what training would look like. No doubt it would be very different than whatever Cloud was used to in the infantry.

There wasn’t much of a chain of command in SOLDIER—aside from having someone oversee each class, the teams really were expected to do their own thing in terms of choosing which missions to accept within the parameters of their skill level. As a Commander, he would only step in or redirect the teams as needed or in times of war.

That would make his arrival to welcome Cloud back a curiosity for Kunsel, who liked to know everything.

Thankfully, Cloud was as scathing as always, not missing a beat when he saw Genesis. It was almost like they hadn’t spent a day apart, falling back into the same pattern of quick bickering they had in all their previous exchanges.

It made it much easier to act like nothing about this was out of the ordinary as Kunsel watched their exchange.

“I’ll take it from here,” Genesis said finally, glancing over at Kunsel.

“Sir?”

He raised a brow. “Was I unclear?”

“No, it’s just you never—” Kunsel cut himself off, seeming to think better of his statement. “Should I come back later?”

“That won’t be necessary.”

Cloud, perceptive as always, knew something was up as Kunsel left. He didn’t hold back asking, but Genesis didn’t really have an answer for him as to what made him any different than any other recruit. Instead he opted to just get this over with, knowing firsthand how unpleasant the experience would be.

The quicker he administered the injection, the better.

The prickly blond continued to ask question after question, clearly not thrilled that Genesis was attempting to do this personally. It was for the best though, and so he didn’t humor the blond with a debate. Not this time. Instead he held Cloud’s arm steady, schooling his features as he injected the mako.

Cloud was _seething._ “Are you crazy?”

“Hardly.”

“That hurt! What the hell is that stuff?”

“Mako.”

“Yea, _and?”_

“And nothing. It’s mako in its purest form,” Genesis told him honestly, not minding in the least when he was called an asshole this time. He would have been just as livid—in fact, he had been back when he was first subjected to all of this.

After their initial exposure to mako, he, Sephiroth, and Angeal were subjected to countless tests. They were also subjected to this very same injection every couple years. Nowadays they chose to administer it to one another rather than deal with any of ShinRa’s scientists. It was still unpleasant, but at least they had their dignity.

The symptoms were setting in quickly, as they usually did when someone was injected. Cloud complained loudly about the pain—about how it sounded like Genesis was yelling. This young man…he really did think Genesis was out to get him. He had eventually stopped with the cursing, curling himself into a ball as the pain wracked his body.

It would only get worse before it got better.

“Are you just gonna stand there and watch me be miserable all day?”

As if he took any joy in this…Just watching Cloud deal with the pain made him cringe, remembering how it felt all too well. The best Genesis could do was keep his voice at a whisper as he responded, “Hardly. I have better things to do than spend my day here.”

“It’s not like I asked you to be here.”

“You won’t be like this all day. It’ll be unbearable for an hour, perhaps two given your circumstances. After that, I’ll escort you to your new quarters and you’ll enter your adjustment period.”

“What’s that mean?”

“Think of it like a vacation as you get used to your new abilities.”

Being a SOLDIER always sounded ideal—the enhancements. Heightened senses. Quicker reflexes. The abilities that came from having mako in a SOLDIER’s veins. It wasn’t quite so glamorous while they were adjusting to those sudden changes though.

The sudden surge in power could lead to a lot of damage if one wasn’t cautious.

Genesis took a seat, idly wishing he had brought a book to read while he was here. Honestly, he hadn’t anticipated needing much entertainment. Not with the way Cloud usually kept him on his toes. Perhaps he should have realized this would happen though.

Not many SOLDIERs had to deal with the pain of an injection. It looked like he was on the brink of passing out from it.

“Cloud?” he attempted, to no avail.

Definitely passed out, then.

Another thing to add to the list of wrongs he’d committed against this recruit, he supposed.

Standard practice would be to keep him around the lab for at least the first hour or so just to ensure there weren’t any side effects, but frankly, Genesis was ready to get the poor young man out of this lab.

He stood up, approaching slowly in case any base instincts kicked in—it wouldn’t be the first time a new recruit lashed out accidentally without truly understanding their own strength yet. Thankfully, Cloud did no such thing. He was seemingly unconscious still, a curious amount of sweat on his forehead.

“Cloud?” Genesis attempted again, quickly finding a towel to brush against his forehead.

He was hot— _very_ hot. It wasn’t atypical, though. Anyone who had high mako tolerance ran the risk of their body rejecting the dosage, and in this case, his was trying to burn it off. The very same thing had happened to him, once upon a time.

Luckily Genesis had come prepared. He cast a controlled ice spell, allowing it to caress the blond in order to bring his body temperature back down to a normal level. It wasn’t until the spell was done that he realized its effects were burning away far too quickly.

It was almost like…

“It’s not possible,” he shook his head, continuing to watch the blond carefully as he re-cast his spell. He gave Cloud a quick once over as he did so, reaffirming what he already knew. Cloud had no materia equipped.

When the cool frost burned away again though, it was abundantly clear it hadn’t simply been body heat burning it away. Body heat wouldn’t be enough to melt a spell like that—not so quickly at least.

 _That_ was not normal.

Genesis knew a fire spell when he saw one, even if he couldn’t quite grasp _how_ it was being cast. He’d read enough about catalysts to know this shouldn’t have been possible, and yet here they were. It was almost like the magic was pouring out of him somehow, unsteady and unstable.

In retrospect, he probably should have realized that was just the start of it. Hindsight did very little to stop the fire spell that came out next though, Cloud crying out in pain as he laid there helplessly. His eyes seemed to be flickering, but there was no doubt he was still completely out.

Another burst of magic seemed to shoot out of the blond before Genesis realized just how dire this situation was. A lab like this was _filled_ with flammable material. Even with his quick reaction to help subdue the flames with his own cast, it was far too late.

The whole thing was burning before he could blink, and the only move he had left was to hoist Cloud onto his shoulder and get out of there. The anti-fire measures would kick in soon enough, and he needed to have his new recruit far, far away before that happened. Hopefully his instincts would prove to be right, and Cloud would stop casting once they were in a room that his body found to be safe. It would be _a lot_ more challenging to explain a fire on the residential floors.

“A lucky thing you’re unconscious,” he sighed, imagining what the blond would have to say if he were to awaken like this—draped over Genesis’ shoulder. “I suppose you’d kick me.”

Cloud seemed to grunt in response, and Genesis couldn’t help smirking. It was like he knew, subconsciously, and was still trying to find a way to argue despite the circumstance.

It really was refreshing. Not many people dared to treat Genesis that way.

By the time he had Cloud safely in the elevator, he used his free hand to pull out his PHS and dial Sephiroth. “I need a favor.”

“No time for pleasantries, then?” his friend mused.

“Certainly not. I had an issue in the lab.”

“With Cloud?”

“He may have lit the place on fire.”

“What do you mean he _may have?”_

“I mean there was a fire, and it seems likely he was the source. I’m still working out all the details,” Genesis admitted with a sigh. “For now, he’s safe. I’m bringing him back to his room to recuperate from the injection.”

“And you need me to clean up your mess?”

“Yes. I can’t have Hojo or Hollander discovering the true cause of that fire.”

“Did the two of you fight in there?” Sephiroth asked, his non-accusation pointed enough.

Of course he assumed the fire was actually Genesis’ fault. Genesis sighed again, “No, we didn’t fight. And no, it wasn’t actually me who cast the spell.”

“What happened, Genesis?”

“I’ll let you know when I have the answers. For now, I need your help.”

He could practically _see_ Sephiroth’s displeasure. “Very well.”

Genesis snorted as he was hung up on, not doubting for a moment Sephiroth would somehow pull through for him despite it all. If nothing else, he would make sure the footage was wiped before anyone was any wiser about what happened.

No one needed to know about what Cloud had done—no one needed to know there was anything unique about this recruit at all outside of the obvious that he was a catalyst.

No, Genesis wasn’t trusting anyone else to watch over this one after all.


End file.
